Camping
by Amor-Sorprendente
Summary: AU. Henry and Emma convince Regina to go camping. At the park, she meets a handsome man in a series of cute-meets.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own OUAT. Also, for full disclosure, I'm posting this first chapter as a kind of teaser, because it might be a while before the next one comes up. I've got a few written, but I want to keep a 2-3 chapter head start. Reviews are great and they motivate me! This is going to be my first full length story, so this is an adventure!

* * *

As she plunges into the murky lake water, Regina asks herself how she even came to be in this position; kicking her way to the lake's surface and scrambling for air as the shock of suddenly finding herself underwater sinks in.

***One week before***

"Mom! Mom! Emma has this great idea. You know how Uncle David works at the park, right? Well, Emma said he said we can go down there for a week! We could camp; I know you don't like camping, but we could go and it would be a week with just us: you, me, and Emma, and we could hike and…"

"Henry! What have I told you about yelling inside? Please, take a breath and you can repeat yourself. Slowly." Shaking her head, Regina turns and catches the front door before it can slam closed behind her overexcited son. He begins rambling again, but at least this time it is at a decibel and pace that humans can hear. As Henry continues on with his list of activities that the park offers, Regina realizes that she knows how this will end- with her, camping like a Neanderthal, alongside an overexcited Henry and a quite possibly mentally unstable Emma.

Regina catches the end of Henry's exclamation that "it will be an adventure!" She rolls her eyes at herself, before turning to face her son. "Henry. Don't you think this would be something you would rather do alone with Emma? I know she would be thrilled to spend time alone with you."

"No, mom, Emma said you would say that. She says you owe her for, and I quote, monopolizing the cool factor in this relationship, or something; I don't really remember. But she said that it would be a fun adventure for us, and we could all bond. And don't you want to spend the last week of my summer vacation with me? Besides, I don't know if I trust Emma to keep me fed in the woods. She did not tell me to say that." Her son may not be the best liar, Regina thinks affectionately, but he sure does know how to work the puppy dog eyes. She sighs, and she sees the grin forming on her son's face. They both know she can't resist the puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, one week. One. And there will be rules," Regina exclaims, cutting off Henry's excited yell. "And tell Emma that if she keeps using my fear of her inadequacy to manipulate me, I will start restricting your visits."

"Thanks mom! It'll be great! Emma and David already made up a list of things we can do at the park! I've got to go call my friends! They're gonna be so jealous." Regina shakes her head again, already dreading the injustices she knows she will have to endure at Emma's hands. But as she hears Henry's excited voice on the phone, she knows it will be worth it.

* * *

The next day, Regina decides to go shopping. If she is expected to go camping, well, she will do it in comfort. The doorbell rings, followed by knocking to the tune of one of those Taylor Swift songs that Henry listens to non-stop. As she walks towards the door, the knocking gets louder, and the faint sound of off-key singing hits Regina's ears. She wrenches the door open, cutting off both the knocking and the singing mid-lyric.

"For the love of God, Kathryn, is that really necessary?" Regina is greeted by the smiling face of her oldest friend. Kathryn, a sunny blonde is Regina's polar opposite in both appearance and personality. Dressed in black yoga pants tucked into brown leather riding boots and a green long-sleeved Henley shirt paired with a forest green down vest, Kathryn looks like an image fresh from a Land's End catalog. Completing the look, her blonde hair falls in an effortless braid over her shoulder. Meanwhile, Regina is dressed in her usual black trousers, white button-up blouse, and a sharp black blazer, giving off a definite Brooks Brothers vibe. _Maybe I should have dressed slightly more casually for a trip to the Bass-Pro Shop, _Regina thinks.

"I wanted be sure that you would hear me; I wasn't sure you could from inside this big, fancy house of yours." Kathryn pulls Regina in for a tight hug, ignoring the brunette's groan of complaint.

"Please, your house has the same square footage; I've seen the floor plans. Anyways, I'm the mayor, I'm entitled." Regina pulls away from the hug, grabbing her purse from the side table next to the door. "Now, come on, we have shopping to do."

As Kathryn and Regina walk up to the front door of the over-sized store, Kathryn turns to Regina. "This place is massive; is there really that much to choose from? And have you ever seen so much camo? I can feel my femininity draining away," she snarks. She hisses as Regina jams her elbow into her ribs. "Sorry, I'm just not used to this kind of… macho environment."

Regina shoots the blonde a glare and walks past the other woman to grab a shopping cart. "Okay, then. Where should we start?"

An hour later, and with the cart now half-full of what Regina and Kathryn have deemed camping essentials, they take a seat at a conveniently located cafe. "Oh, goody, they serve… reheated hotdogs, nacho cheese product, and candied nuts." Kathryn turns to face the pimply faced teenager working behind the counter. "I'll have two waters please. Bottled." As Kathryn pays, Regina retrieves their cool bottles of water, and the women go to sit at one of the small tables littering the cafe area. "Okay, so we have you a tent, and new sleeping bags for you and Henry, some new thermal shirts and pants, a pair of hiking boots for both of you, new swim trunks for Henry, rain coats, a portable grill, some pots and pans, and a partridge in a pear tree. I'm exhausted!" With her last declaration, Kathryn flops back in her seat, throwing her arm over her face.

The brunette quirks an eyebrow. "Now, there's no need to be quite so dramatic, dear. It's not you that will be using any of this, anyways. I still can't believe I agreed to go."

"Honestly, Regina, you would do anything for that boy and we both know it. You're a softy! But that is beside the point. I want gossip; you never tell me anything about your life anymore." At the sight of Regina's tightly pursed lips, Kathryn sighs. "Fine, I'll stop. Just let me ask one thing."

In spite of her better judgment, Regina nods. She can guess where this conversation is going; Kathryn had been asking her the same question for years. If Regina didn't know better, she would assume the other woman was trying to get into her pants.

"When are you going to start having a sex life again?" And there it is; that predictable question that Kathryn has been asking since the demise of her last relationship, five, no six, years ago. Jefferson had been an _interesting_ boyfriend, and the fact that he had a daughter Henry's same ago had made the relationship easier, as they both understood the struggles of being a single parent to a young child. But they hadn't been right for each other, and had agreed to stay friends after their break-up. _How cliché_.

"Kathryn, as I've told you before, I have a twelve year old son. I can't very well sneak out of my house for a bit of illicit sex whenever I want." She quickly tries to think of a topic that would divert Kathryn's attention away from the uncomfortable conversation at hand. Kathryn opens her mouth._Not fast enough_, Regina thinks reluctantly.

"God, Regina, you know that's not what I was talking about. Dating! When are you going to end your self-imposed moratorium on dating? I know it's been difficult for you with having Henry around and everything, but that's no excuse to become a nun. I bet there are nuns that have been on more dates than you!" Regina rolls her eyes so hard she can _feel_ the strain in her muscles. Honestly, you would think that she had killed a person with the way her friend was carrying on. She has a twelve year old son, she reasons, and that does not generally leave a lot of time for socializing and meeting other people. Especially outside of work, because Lord knows there are no viable options there. She has to deal with those _idiots_ every day during work; she can barely stand the thought of having to deal with them outside of her working hours. _Please, don't let her bring up_-

"What about Sidney?" The seriousness of the question is undermined by the hysterical laughter that follows. "We all know that he is completely dedicated to you." Regina sighs, she knows that mocking Sidney's obsession with her is one of the woman's favorite pastimes. In all truthfulness, however, the unwavering devotion, while harmless, is grating on the mayor's nerves. "There's no need to make that face, Regina. You know I'm just teasing." Kathryn, however, is still giggling like a teenager.

Regina stands, "Alright, that's enough down time for you. We still have a few more things to get." Grabbing the now empty water bottles, she walks over to the garbage cans by the counter and tosses them in. She walks back to the now standing blonde and takes hold of the cart.

"Fine, I'll let you change the topic this time. But, Regina, I'm serious, don't you miss having a partner? Someone your own age to talk to and support you?" Kathryn asks.

The brunette sobers. "Yes, I do. You know I do. But I have Henry, and I have my job, and I do not have time to meet people. Between taking Henry to school, going to work, picking Henry up from school, taking him to his extracurricular activities, making dinner, doing laundry, cleaning the house, Kathryn I have no free time!"

"I know, Regina. But please, just promise me that you will try. Maybe not this week, or even this month, but please just promise me you will try to meet someone." Regina nods, and the two friends begin walking back towards the aisles full of camping gear. "So, what else do you need? Oh! How about this!" Kathryn holds up some kind of heavy Pepto-Bismol pink camouflage coat. It is probably the ugliest coat Regina has ever seen, and is something that she would most certainly never be caught dead in.

"Oh, yes. Most certainly. I think I should wear that to Town Hall; maybe _that _will drive Sidney away." The women move on, both picking up their favorite hideous or confusing products. One hour later, the cart is overflowing, and Regina thinks she must have everything that she will need to live like a savage in the woods. _Thank goodness this park has bathrooms and Wi-Fi_.

After paying and loading up Kathryn's car, the women head home. They stop and pick up Henry from a friend's house, and the three work together to unload their new gear. Henry complains the whole time, asking why on Earth they need all of this _stuff_. "You will be glad to have this when you're asking for breakfast in the middle of the woods," Regina states. "Now, last bag, and then we can go in and have dinner. I've got lasagna ready to heat up." They all pick up one last bag to carry inside. When the reach the door, Regina turns to Kathryn. "Kat, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"No, thanks. I've got to go home and keep Frederick company. He makes a mess when he's left on his own to cook." The women embrace, Kathryn thanking Regina for inviting her, and Regina thanking the other woman for going. As the blonde walks back to her car, she yells, "Remember your promise Regina! I'm holding you to it!" Regina shakes her head and waves to her friend as she gets into her car and drives away.

She turns back inside and closes the door. "Henry! Go get ready for dinner! It'll be ready in 40 minutes!"

* * *

Henry and Regina sit at the large wooden dinner table, both digging into their plates of homemade lasagna. It's Regina's specialty, taught to her as a child by one of her mother's maids. The maid was soon after fired. In front of Henry sits a laptop, open to the web page on Camden Hills State Park. He is reading out the list of activities to Regina in between rare bites of food. While normally technology is forbidden at the dinner table, tonight she is allowing Henry to research their vacation spot. _Kathryn is right, I'm a total softy_, Regina thinks while smiling fondly at her son.

"And they have horseback riding! You could do that with me!" Henry waves his arm, the same one holding his fork, and a bit of pasta goes flying across the table. "Sorry mom."

"Oh, well we will absolutely have to make Emma join us on that activity. She is terrified of horses." Regina smirks, knowing that while Henry may protest at first, he will join her in laughing at the gangly blonde when the time comes. It is one of their favorite shared activities, after all. Besides, Regina knows that there are sure to be plenty of opportunities for the others to laugh at _her_. She shudders, just thinking of having to use the communal showers and the joy Emma will find in seeing her in that environment. _At least there are showers_, she tries to console herself.

"And they have cross-country skiing!" Regina distantly hears Henry's exclamation. She smiles at her son's exuberance, even knowing that she is going to have to ruin his late-summer skiing dreams.

"Dear, I don't think those trails will be open during the summer. It might get chilly at night, but not nearly cold enough to ski." Henry frowns, obviously disappointed that he won't be able to partake in _every_ activity the park has to offer. "Maybe you and Emma can stay with David this winter. Then you can ski." Regina knows that Henry loves his uncle David, and would love to spend a week with him and Emma at the state park. She makes a mental note to pencil that into her schedule and calendar. Henry smiles and nods enthusiastically. "And if you bring your bike this week, maybe you and Emma can go off-road biking one day. You can call her and ask if she'd like that."

"Good idea. I'm gonna go call her now. May I be excused?" Henry is perched on the edge of his chair, having already shoveled down the last remaining bites of lasagna. Regina tells him to go ahead and call Emma; she will clean off the table. "Bring me the phone when you're finished, please. I need to ask her about some details."

With a quick, "Thanks Mom," Henry is already running up the stairs while dialing his blonde mother's phone number. Regina stands from her chair at the table and gathers the two now empty plates. She carries the dishes into the pristine kitchen and loads them into the dishwasher. She starts the machine, reaches into the refrigerator, and pulls out a bottle of her own specially brewed apple cider. As she pours herself a glass, Regina tries to create a list of the things she will need for their week-long camping trip. _I definitely need to bring a bottle of cider_, she thinks as she takes her first sip. _And maybe some wine._

Henry storms back down the stairs, chattering to Emma all the way. He lets out a mild 'ouch' as he runs into one piece of furniture or another. _That he gets from Emma_. Henry slides into the kitchen, blithely ignoring the disapproving look on his mother's face. He stops, a few inches short of the counter top, his socks not giving him enough friction to stop as fast as he needs. He says goodbye to Emma, and hands Regina the phone.

"Hello, Ms. Swan. Are you ready for our trip?" Regina grins into the phone, having no doubt that Henry has already informed the woman of his horseback riding plans.

"Yeah, but like hell I'm getting on a horse. Henry tells me you went shopping today?" She can hear the mild teasing in Emma's tone, and chooses to ignore it. No doubt Henry told her of _exactly_ how much she bought during her shopping trip with Kathryn. _I knew I didn't need the collapsible whisk._

"That would be correct. I just needed to pick up a few necessities before we leave. Now, will you be meeting us here?"

"Yep, that's the plan. And I figure you will drive? I know that you will refuse outright to so much as touch my car, and besides, we can fit more stuff in yours."

"That sounds fine. What time did your brother say he would be ready for us?" Regina picks up a pen from the counter, next to the main phone base. She prepares to note the time they need to leave, and where they should arrive.

"Well, David has a shift starting at noon, so if we want him to help set up, we should shoot for a ten o'clock arrival. We'll want to check in with him in the main office. I think he said it's the second right after we turn off the main road." Regina scribbles down the information.

"I'm not sure if Henry told you, but he wants to go biking on the trails, so you'll need to bring your bike as well. If you get here at eight, that should give us enough time to load up the car and get there in time to meet David."

"I'll see you at eight on Sunday, Regina. Tell Henry I'm pumped!"

"I'll be sure to tell him, Emma. We will see you Sunday. Don't be late." Regina smirks, and before Emma can reply with an offended or sarcastic remark, she hangs up the phone. _Yes, I'm definitely bringing wine, _Regina thinks.

* * *

Emma arrives in her beaten up yellow Volkswagen at precisely eight in the morning. Regina smiles, knowing that her punctuality is only due to the blonde woman's excitement over spending a week with Henry. Emma launches herself out of her car, _if it can even be called a car_, Regina thinks. She frowns as the woman slams the door closed with all of the strength she can muster and she hears the vague mumblings of what she thinks are probably _unsavory_ words. The coltish blonde is wearing her usual uniform of skin tight skinny jeans, tall brown leather boots, a plaid flannel shirt, and her hideous favorite leather jacket.

"I think you might need a new car, Emma." Emma turns and glares at Regina without any real anger.

"Well, excuse me, Miss Priss, we can't all afford your lifestyle. Henry told me you bought a collapsible whisk _and _a hanging pantry?" Emma snarks back at Regina. Regina scoffs and simply turns away from the other woman.

Regina opens the front door, leading Emma into the house. "Okay, all of our bags are here. Henry and I will begin putting them in the car, if you want to grab your own bags."

The blonde's jaw drops. "Jesus, Regina. Did you leave anything in the store? This is like one hundred bags. Is that a Louis Vuitton?" Regina just smiles primly, and picks up her first bag.

"Now, come on. The sooner we finish, the sooner we leave." Both women turn when they hear heavy footsteps tripping down the stairs, and Henry practically falls down the last three steps. He smiles widely and tackles Emma around the waist with a yell of her name. The woman grins and replies with a simple 'hey kid,' before prying him off of her.

"Your mom says we need to get all of these bags in the car ASAP. I bet I can carry more than you!" Emma pretends to start running, giving Henry time to quickly sling his backpack over his shoulder and reach down to pick up another duffel bag.

"No way! Come on mom! You're on my team." Henry takes off with his bag, running as fast as he can towards the door. Emma smiles and follows at a more relaxed pace. Regina bends down to grab two bags of her own and follows them out the door.

Thirty minutes later, with the car crammed full of Regina's brand new camping gear, Emma's more well-worn and practical gear, and Henry's backpack full of comics and books. Emma and Henry are fighting over who gets to sit in the front seat, and if she is completely honest, Regina thinks it won't make much of a difference which one wins the argument. Five minutes even later, Emma has won the fight on the basis of, 'because I'm older, now get in the back.'

They're all seated comfortably in the car, well perhaps comfortably is an overstatement, as Henry squirms to avoid a bag pressing into his side, but they're all seated nonetheless and Regina shifts the car into reverse to begin their journey. Emma leans forward to reach for the auxiliary input cord, plugs in her i-Phone and begins scrolling through her music options. Regina side eyes Emma, and it appears Emma gets the message as she eventually picks an entirely Henry-appropriate song. Ten minutes later, Emma and Henry have escalated to actually singing along, poorly, to the music. Regina just focuses on the road and prays they tire soon. _If I want to survive this trip, I'm going to need to watch their sugar intake,_ she thinks as she signals to turn onto the interstate.

Twenty long minutes later, mother and son have exhausted their enthusiasm. Off key singing has transitioned into the occasional, 'are we there yet?' and they're only thirty minutes into their drive. "Only twenty five minutes left," Regina replies when they ask again. The next song on Emma's play-list is decidedly _not _Henry-friendly, and earns her a patent Regina glare. Emma quickly swipes the screen of her phone, changing the song. She turns and smiles sunnily at Regina, earning an eye roll from the brunette.

Emma and Henry have decided that they want one last fast-food meal, before they're stuck with 'healthy camp food.' After ten minutes of a combined campaign for McDonald's, Regina finds herself turning off of an exit from which they can see the golden arches. _If I just give in now, maybe they will eat healthy for the next week_, she figures. She pulls out of the parking lot five minutes later, with her own large iced coffee as the two gluttons in the car wolf down their greasy breakfast.

"I can't believe you can eat that garbage," Regina derides. She looks at the soggy biscuit holding Emma's 'special creation:' two sausage patties, bacon, egg, two slices of cheese, a hash brown, pickles, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Regina does not think she has ever eaten anything that disgusting looking.

"Don't knock it 'til ya try it," Emma sings, as she takes another large bite of the abomination she calls breakfast. She intentionally turns to Regina and smacks her lips together as she takes her final bites and takes a sip of her large Diet Coke to wash it down.

"Okay, we will be there in about ten more minutes. Henry, call your uncle and tell him we will be there soon. Emma, could you pull up the directions to the check-in office?" Both scramble to follow Regina's directions. Regina hears Henry talking to David on the phone, while Emma is saying, "Now, turn right up here."

Finally, the group makes it to the entrance of Camden Hills State Park, and as Regina parks her car, they see David walk out of a dark-sided building. "Hey kid!" he yells as Henry jumps out of the car. The two boys share a high five as both women step out of the car. David looks around. "Alright, are we all ready to get you checked in?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Still don't own any of this. So, here's the next chapter. I don't have a beta (I am looking for one though!) so all mistakes are mine. I've got a few more chapters in-progress, and we will see Robin for the first time in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Regina, Emma, and Henry follow David into the single story sided building that houses the park's main office. David is dressed casually, jeans and a plain black t-shirt with some worn tennis shoes. They enter the office, and Regina takes note of the wood paneling, flannel seat covers, dark curtains on the windows, and the cheap standard issue furniture of a government agency. The four desks are outfitted with leather chairs, fairly up-to date computers, pictures of families in the woods, and small stuffed animals. One desk also has a large bow and set of arrows on it, next to a picture of a rather adorable little boy with deep dimples. _It has a certain… rustic feel_, Regina notes. Along a far wall stands a long table with a coffeemaker, a microwave, and small disposable coffee cups. Framed maps and sketches of wildlife decorate the walls. All in all, it is exactly what Regina expected of a Park Ranger's office.

David offers the three a seat, and walks to his own desk to retrieve paper. He gives each of them a map, a list of activities and their times, a small brochure of the wildlife at the park, and a list of policies and procedures. Henry immediately begins flipping through the papers, pointing out all of things he wants to see and do. David tells Emma the Wi-Fi password, and he and Regina laugh at the look of excitement on her face. They both know that Emma would be a quite literal unhappy camper without the availability of Angry Birds, or whatever it is that she plays on her phone.

"So, how was the drive?" David grins at Regina as he asks, knowing that she and Emma often have their differences.

Regina, as expected, launches into a complaint of Emma's eating habits and general childishness, as David and Henry exchange matching smiles. David walks to the small coffeemaker, _probably from the 1990s_, Regina thinks, and pours three cups of coffee. He adds cream and sugar, and carries two over to Regina and Emma. They both smile and thank him, before taking a tentative first sip. David brings Henry a bottle of water, to Regina's approval.

"Alright, so today, I can help you all set up your camp, then I have to come back here for my shift. I'll be off in time to have dinner with you all, and we can go over your plans for the rest of the week. Emma, do you still remember where everything is?"

Emma nods, and responds with a "Sure do, bro!" David stands, and the others follow, Regina clinging to her coffee cup, already feeling the exhaustion that will seep into her bones by the end of the day. David leads them back outside, and gets into his park-issued 4x4. He tells Regina to follow him to their camping site, an excited Henry chattering along beside him.

* * *

David pulls up next to a clearing several hundred feet off of the main park road. They are surrounded by trees and other vegetation, but on one side of the clearing stands the building housing the bathrooms, some vending machines, and more pamphlets advertising the park and the surrounding area. On the outside is a map encased in plastic with a golden star reading 'You are here.'

Looking back to the clearing, Regina notes that several hundred feet in the other direction is another group of campers. Emma is thrilled. "David, this is the perfect spot! Not too close to the road that we're in the open, but not too deep in the woods and alone that it's creepy!" David looks happy with the approval, and walks over to Regina's car.

"Alright, now. Let's get some of these bags out and get you all set up! No time to waste." David and Emma both take hold of the first bags they see and pull, several other pieces of luggage falling out around them. David chuckles while Emma lets out a bashful 'oops.' Regina and Henry both follow, picking up the bags on the ground.

As Regina and Henry continue to unload the car, David and Emma begin unpacking the tent. Several minutes later, there are pieces of the tent scattered on the ground in a circle around the siblings, who are bickering over the instructions. Regina sighs and shakes her head, plucks the instruction manual out of their hands, and tells them to just 'do what I tell you, idiots.' Regina opens up a folding chair and takes a seat. She begins reading out the directions, including the occasional, 'No, it's that one, how stupid can you be?' as the two blondes scramble on the ground to pick up the right parts. Henry sits to the side, laughing and reading a comic book. Emma gets fed up with their lack of progress a few minutes later, and throws the pieces in her hands back to the ground, ignoring Regina's yell of 'careful!'

"Hey, kid, how about you actually get over here and help instead of just laughing at us? You're getting more like your mother every day!" Emma taunts Henry, who sighs dramatically before pushing off the ground and tripping over to Emma and David. He misjudges his steps in his fit of dramatic flair, and falls into the tent, _if that is what you could even call the tentative progress that they made._ As David begins shooing Henry away, Emma stands to chase him around the campsite, both of them screaming and hollering the whole time. Henry darts behind Regina, who laughs as Emma approaches with a faux-menacing look on her face. "Surrender the kid!" Emma yells, as Regina hears Henry giggling behind her.

She decides to play along and leave David to tinker with the sad remains of the half-built tent. "Alright, I'll surrender… but first, you have to catch us. Henry, run!" With her yell, she and Henry both take off, running straight into the cover of the trees. Several yards in, they both hide behind the trunk of a thick tree, hopefully wide enough to keep them out of sight. Emma follows, but trips over a tree root, causing both mother and son to laugh even harder.

"I see where Henry gets his clumsiness Miss Swan!" Both Emma and Henry turn to Regina and respond with an equally insulted 'hey!'

Over the sound of Regina's laughter, they hear David calling for them to come back and help him finish the 'stupid tent.' "You're fine on your own David! I have faith in you," Emma yells back, as she advances on the mother and son hiding behind a tree. She hears them suddenly quieten, and she freezes so that the sound of her footsteps does not give her away. She sees the twitch of what looks like Regina's red scarf from the other side of the tree, and as quietly as she can she begins tiptoeing forwards. She rounds the tree with a roar of 'gotcha!' only to find nothing. From behind her she hears snickering and then Henry's shout of 'attack!'

Surprisingly, David pops out of the tree next to her with what Emma can only assume is a tent pole raised above his head. Emma throws up both hands and surrenders, even as she hears Regina and Henry laughing hysterically at her initial jump of fear. "Okay, now can we all get back to building your damn-" David stops as Regina's elbow flies out of seemingly nowhere to ram into his ribs -"darn, sorry Henry, tent."

The team files back to their campsite behind David, where everybody returns to their previous seat. Regina re-opens the instruction manual, and continues directing Emma and David. Finally, after what feels like forever to the three adults, they have two fully built tents, one for Regina and one for Emma; Henry gets to choose who he wants to sleep with. He decides that for the first night he will sleep in Regina's tent and alternate the rest of the week, and he lays out their sleeping mats and sleeping bags, one on each side. Regina hauls in her suitcase full of clothes, as well as her bag of personal items while Henry carries in his bag full of books and lays it next to his sleeping bag.

Emma tosses them both a flashlight and tells them to keep it next to their pillow, "in case you have to pee in the middle of the night."

"How charming," is Regina's dry response. But the flashlights are placed next to their pillows, and Regina's brand new battery-operated lamps are placed on top of some closed suitcases.

Henry helps Emma unroll her own sleeping mat and sleeping bag. He throws a flashlight at her, that she, of course, misses. "Careful kid!"

Finally, after much effort and frustration, their tents are arranged properly, and the group collapses in their chairs.

"Hate to run guys, but it's almost time for my shift, and I still have to change. But I'll see you guys tonight." Henry hugs David goodbye while Regina thanks him for his help in setting up. With a last high-five to Emma, David climbs back into his 4x4 and drives back towards his office.

Emma looks back to Regina and Henry. "How about we check out those bathrooms now?"

As Regina and Emma walk into the women's room, the brunette lets out a shiver of disgust. She looks around noting the row of slightly chipped porcelain sinks across from the toilet stalls. _At least they all have door,_ she thinks. As they walk further into the room, they see the shower stalls in the back of the room. Each stall has a small shelf to keep personal items dry and off of the floor, a hook for hanging a towel, and a shower separated by a mostly clean shower curtain. Even Regina can admit that while not her usual standard, the bathrooms seem clean enough, though worn.

"Not too shabby, right?" Emma asks earnestly, obviously hoping that Regina does not begin ranting about the state of the bathrooms.

"I suppose they will be adequate," Regina carefully replies. She just hope that Henry is satisfied with the men's bathrooms. While normally neither woman would allow Henry to use a public bathroom in a strange place by himself, this section of the park seems to be mostly deserted, and he is thrilled to be treated like an adult. _We'll just have to keep an eye on things_. The women wait for Henry, who they can hear inside the men's rooms chattering excitedly, before the three walk back to their tents.

"Well, we have, uh, like 6 hours before David will be back. We can keep unpacking everything, I guess. You bought enough supplies to last a month," Emma says to Regina.

Regina defends her maybe _slightly_ excessive purchases. "While you may be happy living like a savage for a week, some of us have standards. I just want Henry and myself to be comfortable. But please, continue to mock my purchases while I use them to make us dinner."

Emma quickly backtracks at the mention of food. "Okay, okay, I give. You're right. So, let's start unpacking and we can decide what to do after that?" With nods from Henry and Regina, they all grab one of the bags full of camping equipment to start unpacking.

* * *

Two hours later, Henry and Emma are immersed in a game of UNO that Henry had packed. Emma slams down a card with a yell of 'uno!' as Henry groans while complaining that the older woman must be cheating. Off to the side, Regina is reading a book that she had packed. Emma looks over and catches a glimpse of the cover. She snorts up a bit of the Coke she had just taken a sip of as she sees the gray cover, making her slap a hand over her face. Regina's head immediately snaps over to glare at Emma, silently daring her to say a word. She points at Henry to further make her point, but even that cannot stifle the blonde woman's giggles. As Regina forcefully closes her book, Henry looks up and asks "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just having a giggle attack. Your mom was just, uh, making a funny face while she concentrated on her book." Luckily, Henry doesn't notice his mother's face going red as she puts her book back in her own backpack. "So, now that I've won this game, what should we do?"

Henry jumps up, "I want to build a fire!" he exclaims. Emma looks to Regina for permission, and the brunette nods.

"Okay then, why don't you go put on some long pants and your hiking boots? We're going to have to gather wood from the forest." Henry immediately scurries over to the tent and disappears inside. "Never pictured you as a 50 Shades reader Miss Mills," Emma teases. _Obviously she's been holding that in since she saw the cover; she's entirely too excited about this_, Regina thinks.

"We all have our guilty pleasures, I suppose." Regina immediately cringes as soon as the statement is out of her mouth._ I should not have said 'pleasures_,' Regina thinks as Emma once again tries to stifle her laughs. "It's a terrible book, okay. I admit it! Just, go get Henry," Regina pleads as she feels her face reddening again. Emma apparently takes mercy on her as she goes to get Henry, although she is still occasionally giggling. Regina quietly scolds herself, muttering, "Why did I think she wouldn't notice? Damn woman." She decides she will wait to pull the book back out until Henry and Emma have gone off in search of firewood.

Henry marches out of the tent, now clad in long linen cargo pants, a light t-shirt, and his brand new hiking boots. Emma follows, her hands on his shoulders to direct him to stand in front of Regina.

"Emma and I are going to go get firewood now!" Henry still has the uniquely childish ability to be excited even for the most boring tasks. _Although_, she thinks, _it's not like this is something he ever gets the chance to do, it's still all an adventure to him. _

"We're not going to walk too far away from the camp, and I've got my map so the kid and I don't get lost. But we should be back in an hour," Emma reassures Regina. Emma, using her arms still on Henry's shoulders, pivots them around, and they march towards the edge of the woods surrounding their campsite.

Regina returns to her chair and slowly pulls out her copy of 50 Shades of Grey. _Maybe I should have gotten the Spanish version._

* * *

When Henry and Emma traipse back into their campsite, Regina is sitting on the ground surrounded by her purchases, now dressed in loose fitting yoga pants and a tank top, and humming along to what sounds suspiciously like Kenny G playing on their wireless speakers. Henry grinds to a halt, a dramatic, "NOOOO" issuing from his mouth.

Emma, understandably, looks rather alarmed. "What is it Henry?"

"It's cleaning music!" He warbles, dropping the firewood onto the ground in the middle of their little camp. Regina looks unimpressed with the boy's dramatics.

Emma's face has now transitioned to confused. "What the hell-ck is cleaning music?"

"Mom used to put this CD on when we were cleaning. She said as long as it was playing, we had to clean!" Henry looks traumatized at even the memories, Regina looks guilty, and Emma looks vaguely impressed and a bit like Christmas has come early.

"For real, Regina? That's a little bit brilliant, but you not only made our kid clean… You made him listen to Kenny G?"

Regina shrugs, "Another guilty pleasure. Besides it kept him on track."

A wide grin splits Emma's face. "I'm learning a lot about you, Regina Mills. And it's only our first day here." Regina simply rolls her eyes again and reaches over to pause the music. Henry looks disproportionately relieved. Emma walks to where Henry unceremoniously dropped his firewood and lets hers fall on top of the pile and plops down on the ground next to Regina. "Okay, you're in charge now. I'm exhausted."

Regina nods, "Fine by me. How about you and Henry go lay in the tents for half an hour? Just relax. I'll get everything ready to start dinner, and then you can come out here and help start a fire."

She hears "Sweet, thanks Regina!" and "Awesome mom!" at the same time, and simply waves them off. While Emma heads for her own tent, she watches Henry carefully as he walks into their tent, wanting to ensure he didn't trip and hurt anything on his trek through the woods. Not seeing so much as a limp or even a scratch, she turns back to her cooking equipment, lowers the volume on her speakers, and presses play on Kenny G.

Half an hour later, with the supplies that she will need for dinner at the ready, Regina goes to wake Emma. She pushes aside the unzipped tent flap, and slowly peeks her head in to see Emma sleeping lightly. Regina grins, quietly pads up to the other woman, bends down, and yells "Fire!" loudly into her ear. Emma thrashes in her sleeping bag, eyes popping open, as she scrambles up, yelling "Where?" As she slowly wakes all the way up, she notices Regina bent over at the waist, a hand over her mouth stifling what Emma suspects are gut wrenching laughs. She glares, pulls her pants and shoes on, and stomps out of her tent.

Regina follows, still releasing small titters every now and then as she remembers the panic on the blonde's face. "I apologize Emma. Here, would you like to wake Henry?"

Emma smiles, "I accept your apology, and I would love to!" Emma's smile turns evil as she creeps into Regina's tent as quietly as she can manage. Moments later the sound of Emma's ferocious roar and Henry's terrified, and still high pitched, screams reaches her ears. Henry comes storming out of the tent, followed by a now laughing Emma.

"Now that we're all awake, how about you two go ahead and try to start a fire?" Regina suggests, and sees two heads nod eagerly in agreement. "There's gasoline in the-"

"No, no, no! We're going to do this the real way, right Hen?" Regina's eyes widen, _oh this should be quite the show_. Henry agrees with Emma, very much looking every inch the perfect little Boy Scout. Emma walks over to one of her duffel bags and pulls out a rock, a small square of some kind of cloth, and a knife. She tells Henry to pick out the driest twigs and leaves from around the trees. Henry runs off, keen to help Emma with this exciting task. Emma busies herself clearing a circle in between the two tents. She proceeds to sort through the wood she and Henry had brought back earlier. By the time she has finished, Henry is back with several handfuls of dried foliage.

The brunette watches silently, observing curiously as Emma helps show Henry how to form the twigs and leaves into a small ball, similar to a bird's nest. Once they've finished that task, Emma sets the nest on the ground, near the wood. She and Henry sit down next to the small next. Emma tells him to hold onto the rock, positioning the dark cloth on top of the rock, and maneuvering Henry's thumb to secure just the corner of the material. "Alright, kid, now you really have to hold the flint steady, or I might cut off all your fingers and you'll be that weird kid that everybody makes fun of for the rest of your life."

At Regina's gasp of alarm, Emma turns back to her. "I'm kidding… kinda. It'll be fine." Very carefully, under Regina's watchful eye, Emma takes the knife and strikes it against the rock that Henry holds steady. "See, he's doing fine. No missing fingers here." The mayor's shoulders lose their tension, and her brow relaxes as she watches Emma continue to hit the knife against the rock, sending sparks onto the cloth. After a few more moments, the cloth begins to glow; Emma takes it from Henry's hands and carefully places it under the nest of tinder. She and Henry bend down to blow air, hoping the dry twigs begin to burn. However, after a few seconds, the cloth loses its glow, and Henry sighs.

"It's alright, I've got lots of these little guys," Emma explains as she retrieves another square. She hands it to Henry and they repeat the process. This time, Regina reaches for her phone, opens the camera, and begins to subtly snap pictures of the two. Ten minutes later, Regina has more pictures than she probably needs, Henry is losing his patience, and Emma is still optimistically striking her steel knife against the flint. Finally, after one last effort, she and Henry get a few small twigs and leaves to smoke. "There we go! Just keep blowing!" Henry focuses all of his attention on blowing the tiny flames into a fire. As the flames grow, Emma begins adding larger and larger branches to their little fire. Finally, after more time than anticipated even by Emma, they have a full fire crackling away.

It's at exactly this moment that they all hear the sound of tires on the road, and they turn to see David driving up in his 4x4. He clambers out and greets Henry, who informs him that "he and Emma made the fire with a rock and a knife and isn't that cool?" David laughs and tells Henry that he could have a future as a Park Ranger, which Henry takes as a huge compliment.

David turns, "Now, Regina, what's for dinner? Don't think I've forgotten your skills with a burger."

She grins, picks up a plate to show him the four hamburger patties she made while her two companions were still sleeping. David pumps his fist, a grin on his face. Regina walks over to the small grill she bought for this trip; it can be set over a campfire and adjusted so that it sits higher or lower depending on the desired temperature and the size of the fire. After making some adjustments and positioning it over the fire, she lays the patties out, quickly sprinkling some pre-packed seasoning on the patties.

"How was work, David?" Emma asks her brother.

"We had a group of hikers nearly fall into a small ravine, so it was an eventful day. I'm starving! Wait, what is this, Regina?" She looks over to see that David had been sorting through some of the new camping utensils that she bought with Kathryn and is holding up, _of all things_, the collapsible whisk.

"It's a whisk, alright! I went shopping, and Kathryn and myself may have gone a tad bit overboard." The others laugh at her defense, David continuing to rifle through her recent purchases. Every so often, he holds up something to examine, and simply sets it back down again, shaking his head. Regina decidedly ignores this, returning to her task of watching and flipping the hamburgers. "Henry, could you please lay out the rest of the things for the hamburgers? I've got lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard. Don't forget the plates."

After dinner, which was classified as simple but delicious by David, Emma, and Henry, Regina notices that the others have gathered in a circle around the Sterilite storage box of food she and Emma brought. "What are you doing now?" She questions.

"We have to hang up the food so the bears don't get it!" Henry exclaims. "Emma says we have to."

Emma shrugs, "I saw it on that show on the Animal Planet one day." Regina moves to protest that this area has not had any reports of bear sightings in years, but is quieted by David.

"I want to see this," he whispers._ I do have to admit, this could be wildly entertaining,_ Regina thinks as she watches Emma retrieve a long rope from her tent. She and Henry work to tie it around the container storing their dry food. She and Henry walk into the trees, and she hears them trying to find the perfect one from which to hang the food. She and David follow and come to find Emma throwing the end of the rope up and over a branch maybe 10 feet off of the ground. Henry catches the other end, and Emma joins him to help pull the box up. When they get the box high enough, Emma ties the rope onto a low hanging branch from another tree, giving a tug on the rope to make sure the knot will hold.

The group of four traipses back to their campsite, where the group sits and enjoys a fairly competitive game of UNO, with Regina winning 3 out of 5 games. _Luck of being the dealer_, she laughs to herself as they accuse her of cheating. Finally, once the sun has set and the fire has burnt down to embers, Henry begins yawning.

"Bed time, I think," Regina says as she shoos him to bed. He says goodbye to David, goes to brush his teeth and wash his face, before he retreats into his shared tent to go to sleep. "Minimal complaints, that's how we know he's tired," Regina jokes.

The other two laugh. "Hate to ruin the good time, but it's probably time for me to leave as well. Gotta get home to the wife."

"She's got you on a leash, man. But tell MM I say hi," Emma answers.

"You're just jealous because Neal hasn't popped the question yet, Em, nice try. But I will tell Mary Margaret you say hello." He turns to the other woman, "Regina, lovely as always. Tell Henry I had a great time and I'll see him later this week."

"Will do David, we'll see you this week." With that, David walks back to his car, and drives off. "And then there were two," Regina says.

Regina shoots Emma a wary look as she hears a long drawn out, "Sooooooo." Emma continues, "About that 50 Shades. Seriously, Regina? You just need to go on a date."

"Nope, we are not having this conversation Miss Swan." Regina quickly tries to stop this trail of conversation.

Emma nods, "Fine, but seriously. I worry, Henry worries. We just want you to be happy."

"Do I seriously look that unhappy? I'm happy! I have Henry, he makes me happy!" Regina is beginning to get worked up now, feeling attacked.

"Whoa, okay, no, I know Henry makes you happy. He makes me happy, but Regina, you know and I know, that is a different kind of happy. I'll let this go, I just want you to think about it." Regina nods slowly, a pensive look on her face now. "Besides, Henry said Kathryn was asking him about what kind of men he thinks you like. I think there might be some blind dates in your future... I'm pretty sure she's the only person who would even think about that." Regina grins reluctantly as she grumbles her complaint, which makes Emma smile. "Now, I'm going to bed. Enjoy your 'reading.'"

Regina shakes her head and once again rolls her eyes as she watches Emma waltz off towards her tent. _I will enjoy it_, she thinks smugly.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Don't own it, blah, blah, blah. Also, I would like to say: I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CAMPING. I went once when I was like 5 and I just remember getting sunburned. I did go canoeing last summer and nearly flipped the boat because I saw a gator or something, but no camping. Anyways, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave reviews. This is me begging. And finally, I'd like to thank you for reading!

* * *

Predictably, Regina is the first to wake on Monday morning. She crawls out of her sleeping bag, brushes her hair out of her face, and checks that Henry is still sleeping before gathering her shower products, sliding a pair old flip flops on her feet and leaving the tent. She walks to the showers, thankfully empty, and chooses the cleanest looking stall. She undresses, sliding out of the clothes she slept in. She turns on the water, steps in, and begins washing her hair. _Probably should shave my legs if I'm going to be wearing shorts_, she muses. As the brunette lathers up her citrus scented shower gel, she starts humming to herself. She runs the razor up her legs in long smooth strokes, leaving behind soft olive-toned skin. Once finished removing the hair from areas both innocent and not-so-much, she runs her hands over her skin, checking for any missed spots. She sighs as her fingers trail towards sensitive places left untouched for too long, her thoughts drifting. She is jolted out of her haze as she hears the door slam open. Her hands jerk away and she turns off the water as the other person walks to a bathroom stall and slams that door as well. Regina wrinkles her nose at the slamming doors as she towels off and changes into her clothes for the day: shorts, another tank top with a light button up blouse left open over top, and her Nike running shoes.

Back at the campsite Regina begins to gather all of the pots and pans she needs to make breakfast. Both Emma and Henry could eat forever and never be full, so she plans a complete meal of eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, and fruit. She sets up the small makeshift grill that can be used over top of a campfire before adding a small amount of gasoline to the firewood and tossing a match on top. _Which is what Emma should have done last night, instead of taking thirty minutes trying to start it the 'natural' way._

Once the smell of burning wood hits her nose and she sees the tops of small flames, Regina sets the small grill on top of the fire to heat up. The scent of fire must wake Emma as well, as she hears groaning coming from the blonde's still-closed tent. A few minutes later a disheveled Emma emerges, wearing pajama pants emblazoned with the Cookie Monster's face of all things, nods vaguely to Regina, and heads towards the bathrooms.

Not five minutes after Emma's emergence, Henry walks out of Regina's tent, mumbles 'hey mom,' to Regina, and also heads to the bathrooms. _Like mother, like son. _

By the time Emma and Henry return, Regina has the bacon and sausage sizzling and popping on the grill. Both are much more awake, and they play fight over who gets to steal the first piece of meat off of the grill. Regina silences them as she smoothly pops a piece of bacon in her own mouth and chews happily.

Spurred by twin yells of 'no fair,' Regina takes the finished meat off the grill and places it on a paper plate covered in a layer of paper towel. She lets the two bicker while she cracks eggs into the cast iron pan that has been warming on the coals and places several slices of bread on the grill top. While Henry tends to the eggs and toast, she cuts up a few slices of fruit into a bowl. Ten minutes later, breakfast is served.

As they eat breakfast Henry pulls out the list of activities offered at the park and begins reading out the ones he is most interested in, until - "Oh, mom, Emma! We have to do this! Kayaking! I've always wanted to learn to kayak, did you know that Tristan went last year and he said he saw an alligator and it-"

Emma works to cut her son off quickly, "Henry, I don't think we have alligators up here. Tristan probably went somewhere further south."

"But can we still kayak? Come on, it'll be fun, I promise to wear my life jacket mom-"

Once again, Henry has to be cut off. "Geez kid, take a breath. I'd be happy to go kayaking, but it's not me you have to convince."

Regina looks at Emma apprehensively, "Is it safe?" At Emma's reassurance, Regina turns to Henry, "Fine, we can go. But you have to finish your breakfast and then help me clean up. Deal?" They shake on it, and Henry begins shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming rate. Once finished, he takes his paper plate and plastic fork to the garbage can and throws them in. Regina, now finished with her own breakfast, stands and leads Henry over to the griddle and grill that she used to make breakfast. She tells him to take them into the bathrooms and wash them, hands him a small bottle of dish soap and a washcloth, and sends him off. Emma throws away the remains of her breakfast, and walks to stand next to Regina.

"Not gonna lie, I thought it would take much more convincing for you to allow the whole kayaking thing," Emma teases.

Regina fake laughs and replies, "I'm not that strict. He's old enough to learn. Besides, he can swim. Well enough… I hope. Oh, he'll have a life jacket, it'll be fine."

Emma grimaces, "What do you mean well enough? I thought he could swim!" The brunette breaks into laughter at the look of panic on the other woman's face. Emma furrows her brow and responds with, "Not nice, I thought he was going to drown."

Still laughing, Regina smiles, "Relax, Emma, no need to be so uptight." At that moment, Henry dashes back to them, clean dishes in hand. Regina takes them and puts them back away, still chuckling.

"Henry, tell your mom to stop being so mean," Emma whines before she sobers up. "Alright team, here's the game plan. We all need to change into swimsuits and light clothing. It's going to be eighty degrees and sunny today, so we also need sunscreen. Got it?" Both Henry and Regina nod obediently, and they all go to pick out their swimsuits and clothes for the day. Regina settles on a royal blue bikini, slightly more low-cut than she would usually opt to wear around her son, but it's going to be hot, and she'll be covered either way. _And with any luck I can sneak away sometime and read_, she hopes as she slips back into her shorts and tank top. After leaving the tent so Henry can come in and change, she asks Emma to apply her sunscreen.

Regina quickly shucks off her shirt, hoping to get this done before Henry comes out. Emma first sprays her down with the 'sport' SPF 30 that Regina brought for herself, before rubbing it into the places she thinks she may have missed. Regina rolls her eyes as Emma snaps the band of her bikini top. "Very mature," she says as Emma continues to reach the hard-to-get areas of her back. The women switch off, Emma sporting her own bright pink bikini, and Regina can't help but snap the other woman's bikini band in retaliation.

The women finish before Henry emerges, after a very difficult time picking between his swimming trunks, he had eventually decided on Iron Man. Regina pulls him over, and begins slathering him down with the SPF 50 she had brought for his fair skin. Emma fills up a backpack with their essentials for the day, towels, more sunscreen, snacks, water bottles, and Regina's wallet, and pulls it on. All three slide their tennis shoes on and, after a brief consultation of the park map, they head off in search of the lake.

* * *

As the group rounds the corner of the road, the sparkling blue waters of the lake come into view. They can see a few boats on the water, and people swimming in the small sectioned off area along the shore. Regina can practically feel the excitement emanating from Henry, who's been chattering away for pretty much their whole walk.

"Kid, no offense, but if you don't shut up, I will push you into the lake." Regina laughs as Henry acts overly offended in response. "And see Regina, we didn't get lost."

Henry calls Emma on her lie, "Oh yeah, then why did we have to turn around when you led us onto a hiking trail?"

Emma just pushes him lightly and says, "Stop being such a traitor, Henry." He uses the momentum to take off in a slow jog, running towards the lake, whooping and hollering the whole way down. Emma winks at Regina and runs off behind him, yelling, "Come here kid, I'm trying to be mean to you!"

* * *

He hears them before he even sees them. When he looks, he sees three people. Well, two women, and a child. The brunette boy and the awkward blonde woman are running towards the lake, screaming and laughing. He looks past them and feels his breath get stuck in his throat. The other woman is gorgeous. She's got dark hair, so dark it looks like it could be black, but he sees tints of brown reflecting in the light. She's wearing simple clothing, a tank top and shorts, leaving plenty of her olive skin on display. From this distance he can't see her face, but he can make out the vague features, and he already thinks she will be gorgeous. Some kids yelling draw his attention back to the lake, and by the time he looks back to the woman, she is gone.

* * *

They reach the, well, shack that houses the kayak rental office. The three enter, and walk into a room with a single desk with an ancient computer on it. Three walls are full of different boating necessities, life jackets, paddles, floats, whistles, and more. A teen dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt walks in behind them, "Can I help you all?" he asks.

"Yeah, we need to rent some kayaks. These two have never done this before though," Emma says, pointing at Regina and Henry.

The boy looks up from under his perfect Justin Bieber style fringe, "Cool. But if they haven't been on a kayak before, ya might wanna go with a canoe instead. Harder to flip." While Henry looks slightly disappointed, Regina nods eagerly.

"If we can manage the canoe, then we'll get you a kayak, Henry," she tries to soothe the insult. He ponders for a moment, then nods, figuring that this way he gets to spend even longer on the water.

"Sweet. So, I'll need ID from one of you, you two-" he points to Regina and Emma "-need to sign some waivers, and his guardian needs to sign a form. Here ya go." He drops a clipboard holding several sheets of paper down onto the desk as Regina shuffles through her wallet for her driver's license. Emma starts signing papers, and passes over the clipboard for Regina to fill out the rest. Regina signs away her and Henry's rights, reading a little bit more of the small print than Emma. _Nothing menacing about signing away your right to sue if you drown_, she muses as she initials on a line. She hands the clipboard and her license to the teenager, who then leads them outside.

Next to the shack there are two rows of boats ready to be used, one of kayaks and one of canoes. The boy, Nick, he says his name is, points out both kinds of boat, as if they were total idiots. He hands each person a whistle and a life jacket. "Put your life jacket on, make sure it's tight enough. It has to stay on while you are on the water. If you flip or get stuck, blow the whistle. But, if you get too far off the beginner path, we might not hear you. Here's a map, the beginner route is mapped in green, the advanced is in red." He hands them two maps and then hands Henry and Regina each a paddle before handing Emma her own paddle.

He continues his spiel, "Here's your paddles, you can use them to get yourself unstuck. If you lose them, we will charge you for a replacement. Any questions?"

They all shake their heads and the kid helps them to push their boats to the shore. They all take off their shoes and wade through the water to step into the boats, Regina and Henry into the canoe and Emma into the kayak. Regina steps in first, sitting smoothly down on the bench seat in the back. Henry clambers in, shaking the canoe violently. Regina's eyes widen. She thinks she knows how this will end.

After she and Henry are precariously balanced in the canoe, they watch as Emma drops gracelessly into her kayak, sitting much lower in the water. They grab their paddles and all push away from the shore.

Once they have floated a few feet away from the shore, Emma turns to them. "Henry, you and Regina need to paddle on opposite sides, otherwise you are going to just go in a giant circle, and as funny as that would be, I think your mother would kill me. You all need to coordinate your strokes so that you move faster. Got it?"

Mother and son both nod. "Okay Henry, on three?" Regina asks. When he nods, she counts them down, "One, two, three." On three, she and Henry both paddle and the boat glides forwards.

"There you go! See, you guys can do it! Now, just follow me, and I'll lead us around the beginner's route." Emma takes off, paddling slowly so that the others can keep up. She knows it takes less effort for her to move her kayak through the water than it takes them to push their canoe through.

They make fairly decent progress, their boats side-by-side now as they round a small island in the middle of the lake. Henry and Emma exchange remarks about how cool that area looks, or how pretty that bird is, or do you think that's a fish or alligator?

Regina simply smiles and listens to them talk, as she soaks in the sun happily and focuses on the relaxing rhythm of rowing. They are fairly alone on the lake now, one other small boat with 'Maine Forestry Department' stamped across the back not too far away from them. She continues enjoying her mellow state until they are in the middle of the lake and suddenly the canoe jerks.

"Henry! Don't mo-!" She yells, as Henry jolts away from the side of the boat. Before she can finish her sentence, she hears him yell something about an alligator and-

She feels the world shift and suddenly she is thrust into the cold water, kicking her legs out and breaking the surface of the water. She looks around anxiously for Henry and calms when she sees his head pop into view seconds later. Now that her panic is gone, she reaches over and smacks him on the side of the head.

"What did I say about moving!" she yells. Emma is now laughing more than she ever has in her life, looking totally gleeful to see the mother and son, mostly mother, bobbing in the water. Regina looks over to see that their boat is now floating upside down in the water, and she knows that she will not be able to flip it back. "So… what now?"

~line break~

* * *

He hears a panicked yell from the canoe that was previously floating about 50 meters away from him. When he looks over, he spies the canoe upside down in the water, two heads floating along next to it. He sees a woman in a kayak next to them, bent over laughing. _I should probably go offer to help_, he thinks.

As he steers his small boat over to the group, he hears laughing and the sounds of a playful fight from the two people now just floating in the water. They're both holding onto the canoe, he notes, and he can now make out that there are two women and a child.

When he gets within hearing distance, he hears the brunette woman in the water berating the child, Henry, for capsizing them. He gets a little closer and is surprised that they still don't seem to have noticed his approach.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be having a bit of trouble with your canoe," he yells across the water.

This sets the blonde off laughing again, as the boy turns to him and yells, "Yeah, sorry, it was my fault. Could you, um, help us?"

"Henry, don't let go of-" the brunette begins, then sighs, as the kid lets go of the canoe anyways and swims over to Robin. Robin extends a hand and helps hoist the boy up onto his boat. He shakes his head, reminding Robin vividly of a dog shaking itself dry.

The boy looks at him. He grins sheepishly, "It was my fault, I moved too much. Do you think you can get my mom up?" Robin agrees. They're already close enough for Robin to simply reach down to hold out his hand to the boy's mother. She turns to face him, and Robin feels his heart stop.

It's the woman that he had seen earlier, and now he can see her face._ She is beautiful_, Robin thinks. Her deep, dark brown eyes draw him in. He can't look away.

The woman simply stares at him, and he realizes that he has been staring for a few seconds too long. "Sorry, ma'am, but I thought you could use a hand." He sees her roll her eyes slightly at the use of 'ma'am', but Robin was raised as a gentleman, and she would have to deal with that. She sighs and finally accepts his hand. Together, they pull her up onto his small boat, and she slips a little as her wet feet hit the deck. She steps away, and he gets to see her fully now. She is small, several inches shorter than he is. She is dressed in a now completely soaked pair of shorts and what is possibly a tank top under her life jacket.

Robin, still trying to surreptitiously stare at the woman, holds out his right hand. "Robin," he introduces himself.

She extends her hand to shake his. "Regina, and thanks," she states simply. _Bloody hell, even her name is gorgeous_.

* * *

"You're most welcome." Regina looks to the man that pulled her out of the water. Robin, he said his name is. He is handsome, she can see that, but it is the way he is staring at her that is making her feel nervous and skittish.

He's also British, she is reminded as he begins talking again. "Would you like a towel?"

Both Henry and Regina nod. "Yes, please. That would be great. Thanks, again," she blabbers. _God, I sound like an idiot_, she thinks.

If she is sounding like an idiot, Robin doesn't seem to notice as he goes to grab two towels from under a seat cushion. He tosses one to Henry, yelling, "Here, mate!" He turns back to Regina and hands her the other. "Here you go ma'am." He smirks, obviously noticing that his earlier use of the name had annoyed her. _God, he has dimples._

"Thanks, sir," she deadpans. "Again," she adds sheepishly. She grins, then notices Henry staring at her like she has suddenly grown two heads. She looks questioningly at him, and he pointedly looks to Robin. Regina can do nothing but blush.

"Has everyone forgotten about me now? I'm feeling a little neglected!" All three turn to Emma, sitting in her kayak.

"Sorry, mom. Kinda did forget about you. Go paddle back to shore!" Henry yells. Emma, after looking offended, shrugs and picks up her paddle.

Henry turns back to Robin now. "Could you take us back, too?" Robin agrees, and Regina thinks she could listen to his accent forever. She goes to stand next to him and tells Henry to go sit down while the boat is moving as he begins to direct them back to the lake shore.

Once Robin has glanced away, Regina looks him up and down, noting the strong muscles bunched under his t-shirt, the slightly mussed sandy brown hair, and the slight stubble on his jaw. She stares at the lines of definition that she can just make out through his shirt, before moving her gaze slowly up to his face and his light crystal blue eyes. _God, he's hot_.

* * *

Robin can feel eyes on him, even though he is not looking. He turns, and catches a brief glimpse of Regina staring at his face before she jerks her eyes violently away. He can see what he thinks might be a very light blush spreading up her neck.

He can't help the grin that spreads widely over his face. Out of the corner of his eye he thinks that he might see a matching smile forming on her own, _rather attractive_, he thinks, lips.

Turning back to the wheel of the boat, he makes them cut through the water at a slightly more rapid pace. The wind catches his hair, ruffling it, and whips his shirt around his body.

When he turns back to face Regina, he sees her shiver. "Would it be too forward of me to say that you might want to remove your life jacket and top if you are wearing a swimsuit underneath? It'll warm you up a bit."

"I was under the impression that we have to keep our life jackets on while on the water," she sasses back.

"While normally that is true, you, ma'am, are in the presence of a Park Ranger. And I do believe that it could be forgiven in the circumstances. After all, you already fell in," Robin ends with a chuckle, still noticing the glare he receives when he calls her ma'am. The stunning brunette ponders this for a minute. He can practically see her weighing the pros and cons of removing her shirt. "If it will make you uncomfortable, you do not have to. It was merely a suggestion."

The reassurance seems to work, as she goes to unbuckle the life jacket. She shucks it off, and Robin can see that she is indeed wearing a tank top underneath. His mind already going crazy with what she could be wearing under the thin fabric. _Good lord, mate, get a hold of yourself_, he silently chastises.

She reaches to the hem of the dripping top and pulls it slowly up and over her head, tossing it to the side once she is finished. Robin's eyes go wide. _Bloody hell._ She is wearing a royal blue halter-top bikini, the colour contrasting wonderfully against her skin. _Her smooth, smooth skin_. The bikini is cut low, and Robin's eyes wander down to the low neckline, drinking in the sight of her pert breasts. He swallows, realizes where his eyes are currently located, and jolts his head away. He looks straight forward, trying so hard to ignore the voice telling him to look and look and never look away. He feels like his heart is trying to escape from his chest, and there is certainly activity happening in some other, decidedly less appropriate, areas.

_Fucking hell._

* * *

Regina blushes. She can feel his eyes burning over her newly revealed skin. She sees him blink, then swallow, then pointedly refuse to look in her direction. She smirks. _How flattering._

It is Henry that saves her from making an embarrassment of herself. "Mom! Look at Emma!"

Regina turns and sees the blonde woman in her kayak, stuck on a small patch of some kind of greenery close to the shore. She and Robin both laugh as the other woman uses her paddle to attack the plants, trying to free herself. They all watch as she finally succeeds, and Emma bows at Henry as she hears him cheering.

While Henry is distracted, Regina turns back to Robin. He is staring again. They make eye contact, and she grins as it is his turn to blush. When she begins giggling he begins to laugh, and soon enough the two of them are an immature mess.

The tension broken, she speaks. "So, a Park Ranger? You don't just go around saving people from their capsized canoes?"

"Oh, I do my fair share of saving. People end up in all sorts of messes when they try to embrace the wilderness. But there's also quite a bit of policy and monitoring animals and studying trees. Truly riveting," he explains. Regina grins in response. "So, now you know what I do. It seems only fair that I should know what it is you do for a living," Robin prompts.

She blushes, "I am the mayor of a very small town a little further north. But it's nothing too important." He looks impressed regardless, like most people do when they find out she, at age 32, is a mayor.

A moment or two later, he is smirking again. "Oh, I'm sorry, should I be calling you Madame Mayor?" Regina grins excitedly; she loves a man that can hold his own against her.

"I don't think that will be necessary. Your highness or your majesty will do just fine," she flirts back. Robin's eyes brighten, and he smiles a true, full smile now. _Oh my god, he is so hot. _

* * *

She can hold her own, Robin realizes. He likes that, he does not want a woman to blindly follow him around like a puppy. _Even better, she's feisty_, Robing thinks.

They're only a few feet from the dock now, and Robin walks to the side of the boat. He sees Henry standing next to him, vibrating with excitement and looking around eagerly. "Hey, Henry, could you help me tie up the boat? I'll need some help."

Henry's whole face lights up, and he excitedly agrees. "Sure! What do you need?"

"Well, I'm going to have to steer the boat up to the dock. But, I'll need someone to throw these-" he holds up some white padded floats attached to rope- "and tie them off the side of the boat. Then, someone needs to grab that metal hook thing, you see it, and help me hold the boat against the dock." Henry nods along with every bit of instruction that comes out of Robin's mouth.

Out of the corner of his eye, Robin sees a dazzling smile lighting up Regina's face. _Bullocks, she gets more beautiful every second_, Robin thinks. His whole body is attuned to her, he can sense her eyes on his skin, his own eyes are magnetized to her face, and his hands just want to touch, anywhere, even just hold her hand. He just wants to be close to her, he realizes.

_What is happening? _Robin knows that he has never felt like this, not even with his first wife, his Marian.

He doesn't have time to dwell on his temporary insanity, as he steers the boat up to the dock. He tells Henry to toss the buffers over the side of the boat and tie them off. Henry does, and the boat bumps softly against the sturdy wood. He tells Henry to reach over, under Regina's watchful eyes, and grab hold of a little metal hook on the dock and to _pull_ as hard as he can. Henry does, and the boat drifts over to rest against the platform. Robin jumps over and ties rope around the hook, attaching the other end to the dock.

With the boat secure, Robin lets Henry clamber up and out. Robin nods at Regina to follow, an "after you, ma'am," making her roll her eyes. She sways, and he settles his hands lightly on her waist as he guides her up. Robin can't help but notice the smoothness of her skin, the warmth, and he feels a jolt of electricity run up his arms. He ignores it, and if she notices, she does not speak of it either. Once she is safely up on the wooden platform, his hands drop and he follows the mother and son.

* * *

Now on solid land, Regina looks at Robin and blushes. "Thank you. For saving us and… everything." _I haven't blushed this much in years_, Regina notes. The man grins, one corner of his mouth pulling up into a smug smirk that has Regina imagining the ways she could remove it.

"It was my pleasure," he says, and Regina feels his eyes trace her body again before he looks at her with that grin. He turns. "However, I have to thank Henry for his assistance; I don't know how I would have managed to dock the boat on my own," Robin says to Henry. The boy beams, proud to be recognized, and this makes Regina smile as well. _And he's good with kids? God, could he be any more perfect? _After a few more minutes, Henry tells Regina that he can see Emma getting out of her kayak. Regina turns to Robin, and thanks him one last time. With Henry chattering at her side, Regina shakes Robin's hand, ignores the tingle of electricity that runs up her arm at the contact, and waves goodbye as she and Henry walk back to Emma.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: A very sincere thank you to everyone that has reviewed and favorited and followed! I've been trying to keep ahead by a few chapters before I publish new ones, but I've been working two jobs and things are a bit hectic, so this is the last fully finished one I have. The good news, though, is that what I have of the next chapter is already 6000 words. I still haven't found a beta, mostly because I kind of stopped trying, so all mistakes are my own. And I still don't own any of this, yada, yada, yada.

Oh, and THE RATING HAS OFFICIALLY GONE UP. Once again, please read and review! Thank you!

* * *

Regina twists, her shoulders pushing back into the pillows underneath her. Her hips rise, chasing the friction of Robin's weight against her. She moans and her head thrusts back as Robin's tongue traces her collarbone. His light stubble tickles against her skin and she writhes. She pushes up, flips them, and straddles him across his hips.

"Bloody hell," she hears him pant into her neck. She can feel him against her, hot and heavy and hard. His hands are firmly planted on her hips, but one drags down, traces the curve of her thigh. She bucks against him, and he grinds back against her.

He grins as she groans out his name. His hand moves around to her front, following the sharp line of a hipbone. He pauses, and she pushes herself further into him, muttering "please." His hand drops, he runs his finger lightly over the skin between her thighs, just a whisper of a touch. "Robin, please," Regina repeats. He runs his index finger down, over her clit and through her wetness, the moisture gathering on his finger.

She releases a guttural groan, the touch is electric, burning up her nerves all over her body. She shifts, says "more," and feels two fingers swirl around her clit before circling her entrance. She clenches, then relaxes, and he presses a soft kiss over her breast and thrusts his fingers into her. Regina lets out a sharp yelp as she grinds herself down onto him. He pulls hims fingers out, and pushes them back in again. It feels good, so good; she hasn't been touched like this is years. She moans freely, feels something poking into her back, and when did she get on her back? She reaches for Robin and finds soft pillows, and it was a dream. _Damn it, shit, fucking goddamn it_, she thinks.

Regina sits up, panting, an uncomfortable tension running throughout her body. She groans in disappointment, and falls back against her pillow. _At least Henry is in Emma's tent for the night_, she thinks. Falling back asleep will be impossible, so she gathers all of the things she will need for the day, and leaves her tent. The sun hasn't risen yet, and Regina takes a few minutes to stretch and calm herself. The stretching doesn't completely relieve the ache Regina feels between her thighs and Emma isn't up to judge yet, so Regina pours herself a glass of wine that she quickly drinks before heading towards the showers.

Once in the showers, Regina repeats the previous morning's actions, letting out a slight groan as she shifts and feels the pressure grow between her thighs. She turns the water up to scalding, and hisses as the heat burns her skin. _But at least the thoughts of Robin are gone_, she concedes.

As she dries her hair, Regina can hear Henry and Emma chatting by the camp. She can't make out any actual words, and allows the light drone of conversation to relax her. They're both having a great time, and after yesterday, Regina will have to admit she has had a surprisingly good time as well.

Emma walks into the bathroom, and Regina feels uncomfortable with the look on the blonde woman's face. She is grinning, the smile stretching practically from ear to ear, and Regina thinks surely her muscles are feeling strained. "Soooo, I hear you were making eyes at the man from the lake," Emma begins.

"Henry told you." It isn't even a question; she should have known her son would rat her out immediately to his other mother.

"Yes, he said you and Robin," Emma says the name with a sing-song lilt to her voice, "got along quite well." Regina can do nothing but roll her eyes and try to hide the blush staining her cheeks and neck. Emma sees her face anyways, "Ohhhhh my God! You like him! You seriously like this guy!"

"Seriously, Miss Swan, could you be any more juvenile?" Regina tries to stop Emma before she really gets into her excitement and says anything truly embarrassing.

"What, no, I think it's great! Even Henry said it would be kinda cool- his words, not mine." Regina doesn't know what to say; she had never thought that Henry would have an opinion on her dating life. She stutters her way through an excuse and leaves the bathroom, Emma smiling knowingly behind her.

As she walks back to the camp site, Regina tries to plan what she will make for breakfast. _Maybe pancakes_, she thinks. _With chocolate chips; Emma and Henry would love chocolate chip pancakes._ She gathers all of the necessities, and while Henry and Emma are in the showers, she pulls out a bottle of cider. She pours herself a glass, and savors it as she prepares the pancake batter.

With perfect timing, both Emma and Henry return to their little campsite just as Regina flips the pancakes off of the griddle she has sitting over the fire. "Alright, pancakes are ready. Please get a plate and fork and you can come get one," she tells them. Henry lets out an excited yell, and mother and son both grab plates and take two pancakes each.

"And they're chocolate chip!" Henry yells, high-fiving Emma. "They're great mom, thanks!"

"Yeah, Regina, these are amazing," Emma agrees. Regina smiles, thanks them, and takes a pancake of her own. She sits down and takes a bite and washes it down with her cider.

"Can we go hiking today?" Henry asks out of the blue. "We have those new hiking boots you bought, mom."

Emma and Regina look to each other, and Emma shrugs, as if to say it's up to Regina. Regina weighs the pros and cons for a moment, and decides that nothing truly horrible would happen if they went hiking. And she did buy those new shoes.

"I suppose we can go, as long as you promise to carry the bag that we'll have to bring," Regina bargains. Henry nods, willing to agree to nearly anything. "You also need to clean up the breakfast mess," she adds. She figures that if Henry is going to be agreeable, she'll milk it while she can. He rushes to pick up all of their dishes, apparently incredibly eager to go hiking.

The women smile at each other, laughing at Henry tripping over his own feet to clean everything up. Regina stands to go change, but hears Emma very lightly singing "Regina and Robin sitting in a tree; k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Regina swings her head back around to send Emma a vicious glare.

"I'm going to leave you in the damn woods," she mutters under her breath quietly enough that Henry doesn't hear. Emma simply giggles.

* * *

An hour later, the sun is shining high in the sky, and Regina is slathering sunscreen on the two immature children that are still humming 'Robin and Regina sitting in a tree.' If she _accidentally_ pinches Emma while she puts sunscreen on the woman, well it's justified, she reasons.

Emma and Henry take off, scampering away, Henry carrying the backpack full of their supplies. Regina has changed into yoga pants, she doesn't want to get mosquito bites even though she'll be hot, and a simple t-shirt. She and Henry are both wearing their new hiking boots, the leather stiff and unyielding, and she really should have worn them in, she realizes.

The blonde, holding the map, leads them down the road to one of the hiking trails. She had chosen a beginner trail, something fairly short and with minimal hills. "Okay, so here we are. This is the beginner trail, and according to the map as long as we stay on it we will end up right back here," she explains.

"Well, lead the way Miss Swan," Regina says. They take off in a single file line, Henry reaching out to touch everything he sees. "Careful, Henry. If you touch any poison ivy we'll make you sleep outside," she warns. She chuckles as Henry jerks his arm back.

They keep walking, Emma stopping to point out different plants that she recognizes. Henry stops every so often to point out what he thinks are bears hiding in the woods, but in reality are probably just squirrels.

As they continue their hike, Regina zones out, thinking back to the previous day. Thinking back to Robin. She has done a decent job of keeping her mind off of the man so far, with the exception of her dream. She blushes even thinking about it. But, her mind drifts back to Robin's attractive physique and the way his muscles stood out under his t-shirt, the definition in his arms…

"And here, look, this is a venus fly trap," the brunette hears Emma saying. Her face scrunches, venus fly traps are not native to Maine in any way, shape, or form. When she looks at the two in front of her, she sees matching smirks on their faces. "Oh, now you're paying attention," Emma jokes. "Wonder what you were thinking about?" Regina just makes a face in return.

The brunette shakes her head, hoping to get rid of the thoughts of Robin. Now that she is not lost in her day dreams, she notices that the sun is considerably higher in the sky and her feet are beginning to blister. _Should have broken in these shoes_.

"How long have we been walking?" Regina asks. Emma checks her phone, the light glinting off the screen and hitting Henry's eyes, who dramatically pretends to be blinded.

"It is….. 2:30? Wait, that can't be right, we should be done by now." Emma looks concerned. "Henry, give me that map," she instructs. They've come to a stop, standing on the trail. Regina sees a large rock off to the side, and after checking for bugs or any other kind of animals, she takes a seat.

Henry shoots Regina a hopeless look, knowing that at some point Emma must have accidentally led them the wrong way. They had passed several forks in the path, and they must have gone the wrong way on one.

"Miss Swan, are you telling me that we are lost? In the woods?" Regina questions.

The other woman looks sheepish. "Maybe. Now, we're not lost _lost_, we just took a wrong turn. I've got my phone, so we'll be fine. We… just have to figure out where we went wrong…" Emma focuses on her phone, no doubt trying to locate them on a map. "Besides, I can always call David to come get us."

Regina agrees with a nod, and Henry seems to think this is just another amazing adventure. Emma comes to sit next to Regina and lays out the map over their laps. With heads bent together, they both try to figure out exactly where they are and, more importantly, how to get back. After several minutes of arguing and pointing, they decide on where they think they are, and which direction they need to go. The group turns around, heading back down the path they had already walked. When they get to the last fork in the path, which is where Emma thinks they took a wrong turn, they take a right instead of a left.

Unfortunately, they find out this was not the right decision after another hour of walking. Now Regina's feet are absolutely killing her, the new leather of the boots chafing against her skin through her socks and around her ankles with every step. _New shoes, new socks, and yet I'm still dying,_ the brunette complains to herself. She knows better than to mention it out loud to her hiking companions; it would only give them more ammunition to mock her purchases.

Luckily, Henry speaks up for her. "Emma, can we just call David already? I'm tired and I'm getting hungry. This was cool and everything, but I just want lunch." Regina chuckles as Emma sighs dramatically, giving Henry grief for giving up so easily as she pulls her cell phone from her pocket.

"Hey, David?" A brief pause follows, while David asks Emma a question. "Yeah, uh huh, they're fine. Well, we have a slight problem…" She pauses again before continuing. "Okay, so, you see, we may have gotten lost." Regina can hear David's laughter through the phone from her spot a few feet away. "Yeah, yeah, it's so funny. Can you just come find us? You can use your fancy ranger gear to get our coordinates from my phone? My location services thingy is on." David must answer in the affirmative, as Emma replies, "Sweet, okay, thanks bro!"

She turns back to the two brunettes. "David said someone will be here as soon as possible. It'll take a few minutes to get our coordinates and get here." She folds her body up awkwardly next to Regina on the rock. "So I guess we can all just chat while we wait. Bonding time!"

She receives two eye rolls in perfect tandem in response.

LINE BREAK-THIS WEBSITE HATES ME

After thirty minutes, boredom is starting to set in. Emma is pacing around the clearing, Henry is playing some sort of game on the cell phone he had pried out of Emma's hands, and Regina is still seated, wishing she had brought a book. _Or even a People magazine_, she thinks.

The group turns quickly as they hear a light rustling in the woods behind them. Henry's eyes widen, and Regina can practically hear him hoping that this will be a run-in with a bear, or some other equally dangerous creature.

"At ease," Regina hears, "it's just me. David was busy." _Oh God, the accent_, Regina thinks. Of all the times for them to meet again, it has to be now, when she's sweaty, her hair is disheveled, she has no makeup on, and she probably reeks.

Robin steps into view and Regina can now see the smug grin on his face. No doubt that he thinks this is hilarious.

"Oh great, it's Prince Charming coming to the rescue," Regina snarks. His grin grows wider.

"Oh, no, ma'am. All of us here have decided David is much more of a Prince Charming than I," Regina laughs at that, mostly because it's true. "He looks the part more than I." _Now that_, Regina thinks, _I do not agree with_. Regina's gaze drifts again, as it seems to do around Robin, lingering on his tight t-shirt and the muscles she sees under it.

He grins, noticing her stare, and turns to the others. "So, whose fault was this?" he questions, and looks between the blonde and her son. They both turn and point at the other, yelling 'not mine!' Robin and Regina both laugh, as the pointing quickly turns into a small cat-fight. "Okay, sorry I asked," Robin murmurs to Regina, as she tries fruitlessly to stop the play fighting.

Finally, they separate, and Robin explains that they had taken a wrong turn about a mile back and are now on one of the advanced trails. He tells Henry and Emma to go on ahead; he will tell them where to turn when they get there. As they scamper off, yelling about a competition, he turns to Regina and offers his arm with a smile.

LINE BREAK-LIKE IT REALLY HATES ME

The brunette takes hold of his arm, linking them together at the elbow. She smiles shyly, and Robin thinks that it might be one of his favorite smiles so far.

"So, it seems you _do_ go around saving strangers," she comments.

Robin chuckles lightly, "And it seems you are a regular damsel in distress," he teases back. Regina frowns and bumps her hip against his in retaliation. He notices the beginning of a smirk on her lips and knows he hasn't overstepped any lines.

He does have a question that he's been pondering. "I'm curious, how do you know David and Emma?" He sees the brunette's face fall, and realizes that it might be a sensitive subject. "You don't have to answer if it will make you uncomfortable," he says.

She sighs. "No, it's fine. My fiancé, Daniel, was their adoptive brother. He introduced me to the family' and after he died, I stayed in contact. That's actually how I got Henry," at her son's name, Robin sees a smile light up Regina's face. "Emma got pregnant when she was 16 and she was not in any place to raise a child, so we agreed that I would take him. He's always known Emma is his mother, but they're really more like siblings." As if to prove her statement true, Emma tackles Henry, both of them shrieking and laughing. Regina smiles fondly, and Robin thinks he could fall in love with that look. _Bloody hell, pull yourself together_, Robin scolds himself. "But, that's enough about me and my sad story; how long have you worked with David?"

Robin shakes himself out of his daze to reply. "I moved here two years ago with my son Roland," he explains. Regina turns to look him in the eye, and he can see the questions she's trying not to ask. "He's everything. His mum, Marian, died in childbirth. A freak incident, they called it." He swallows down against the tightness in his throat. It's been there for four years now, but it lessens every day.

Regina frowns, "I'm sorry Robin." She smiles softly at him, and he grins in return. It's nice, he thinks, knowing that they are in the same situation; they both have young children and they have both lost someone very important to them.

"Well, now that we've both successfully brought the mood down, how about we talk about something else," Robin says. "You mentioned you're a mayor?"

This earns him an eye roll, and now he knows this tale will be good. "Yes, I'm the mayor of a very small town filled with very stupid people," she says. His smile broadens as she continues. "There's always a problem, and never anyone else to solve it. Last week it was Ms. Patty's apple tree blowing leaves into Mr. Doose's yard. The week before it was two troubadours trying to claim the status of official town troubadour." He feels her tense up, no doubt reliving the memories.

"You're right, they sound like complete idiots," he jokes, nudging her hip with his. She smiles. _Success_, he thinks.

LINE BREAK-IT HATES ME SO MUCH

"I don't want to even think about those morons this week," Regina says. "So, how did you end up being a park ranger?"

Robin sighs. "Well, I am not sure if you're familiar with the story behind Robin Hood?" The slight rise in his voice indicates that it is a question. She shakes her head in response. "My full name is Robin Sherwood Locksley. And, well, my parents have an interesting sense of humor, to say the least. There are several historians that believe Robin Hood's name was actually Robert or Robin of Locksley, and Sherwood Forest is one of the locations normally associated with him." He shakes his head and sighs again, prompting another wide grin from Regina. "And, well, suffice it to say, as a child I held quite an interest in Robin Hood…" He trails off, and Regina laughs.

"Did you call all your friends your Merry Men?" she teases. She sees him redden slightly around the ears as he smiles bashfully. She gapes, "Oh! My! God! You did, you so did! That's so cute!" He lightly pinches her side, and the laughter stops. "Okay, okay, I'll stop," she lets out between stifled giggles.

"So, anyways, as I was saying before I was quite rudely interrupted," he says, ghosting his fingers up her side and making her snicker, "I had quite an interest in Robin Hood as a boy. I took up archery, and I joined the Boy's Brigade _and _the Boy Scouts. When I went to university I studied forestry, and now here I am."

Regina grins, "Oh, that's so cute. I can just picture you in your little uniform, with your little bow and arrow," she stops as she starts laughing again.

"Emma, you need to turn left up here," Robin shouts to the woman. She turns and gives him a thumbs-up and waggles her eyes at Regina. Henry, bored with the blonde now, skips back to Robin and Regina, probably to harass the man.

Proving her assumptions right, Henry asks, "Did you say you can shoot arrows?" He's bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, again shivering with his excitement. Robin nods. "Could you teach me?"

The anticipation on the boy's face is clear, and Robin turns to Regina. He raises his brows, and she sighs, looking at the matching expressions on their faces. "Fine, yes, he may. But I will be there to make sure everybody goes home in one piece." _And to keep an eye on other things_, she thinks as her eyes wander down the strong arm linked through her own. As if feeling her eyes on him, Robin shifts his arm, settling his hand loosely on the small of her back, not straying any lower than appropriate.

"Alright, well, then we're set. Would tomorrow work?" He asks Regina.

"Yes, that should be fine. As long as Emma can find something to keep her entertained," she says, raising her voice so that the other woman can clearly hear.

Emma turns around, walking backwards, and Regina just knows how this will end. "That's fine, abandon me, man. I thought we were friends, Hen!" Even Henry rolls his eyes at the dramatics. "But that's fine, I'd rather not be there to watch your mom flirt." The sour face Regina shoots Emma is lost on the woman as she trips, landing flat on her back on the ground.

While Regina blushes under Henry's now inquisitive look, she feels Robin's hand running soothingly up and down her back. _I could get used to this_, she thinks, and then, _what am I doing?_ Surely it is not normal to feel this comfortable around someone after such a short time knowing them. But she can feel it, and she assumes Robin can feel it; the electric connection pulling them together.

Robin slows, "So, tomorrow then?" he inquires.

"Yes, that should work. What time should we meet you?"

He pauses, tries to remember his shift. "I have an early morning shift tomorrow; I should be finished at noon. Would you and Henry like to get lunch before our lesson?"

Henry nods exuberantly, and Regina wonders if Henry is truly that starved for male company in his life, or if he is just excited to shoot pointy objects at a target. "Yes, that would be perfect," she tells Robin.

"Great. How about we all meet at the main building, and we can go from there." Regina nods her agreement as Henry, tired of the conversation, goes to join Emma who is rustling around in some bushes. Robin turns back to Regina, "It's a date," he says quietly.

Regina's pretty sure her face is glowing red at this point. She smiles, feels his hand still smoothing up and down, "It's a date," she repeats.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ok, life is just so annoying, getting in the way of writing and all. Although that's probably my fault- trying to start a story during the holiday season. But ANYWAYS. I split this chapter in half, as it was getting kind of long. So, this chapter's pretty short but it's ok, I have most of the next one ready. Most. It doesn't want to end.

And to the anon commenting on my line breaks: I do it for you. And to not throw my computer across the room in anger.

As always, please read and review. (Please review.) Enjoy!

* * *

Robin grunts, fists his hands in the hair of the woman on top of him. He pants, dotting light kisses along the collarbone under his lips. His hands shift, slide through the dark hair, down smooth, smooth tanned skin. He coasts over her neck, between her shoulder blades, along the notches of her spine, and down to the soft, firm skin of her ass. He groans. _God that ass_.

She shifts, the silk of her knickers rubbing against his hard erection. As she moves he watches her face; eyes closed, brow scrunched, full lips dropped open. She's fucking gorgeous. She begins thrusting her hips against him, the silk increasingly damp. He moans, pushes back against her. God, he's hard, so hard, and she's so fucking soft everywhere. They thrust together, but he wants to feel her.

Pushing her up so that she is standing in front of him, he kisses low on her stomach as his hands find the waistband of her dark red silk knickers. He groans again as he sees the dark patch where her wetness has soaked through, and he quickly places a kiss against the fabric before he pulls the underwear down her long tan legs. She pants.

Robin moves to run his fingers along the skin between her thighs, but she grabs his hand, moves it up to her shoulder, and straddles his lap.

"Fuck, Regina," he pants out as he feels her against him. She's soft and hot and wet, and now she's slip sliding against him, releasing her own small moans at the end of every grind. The noises only encourage him, and he feels himself grow harder against her. He's pretty sure he has never been this aroused.

She shifts slightly on him, raising her hips and reaching down to grasp him in her soft hands. She pumps him a few time, her wetness providing ample lubrication, and he releases another litany of, "fuck, Regina, God, please."

He looks up, sees her beautiful smile, and before he can prepare himself, she thrusts down onto him. They let out matching moans as she stills. Their thighs, stomachs, chests rub together, the heat growing as they pant quietly.

His hands grasp her hips, squeezing tight, urging her to move. She's tight, so fucking tight around him; and she's wet, he can glide in and out easily. His eyes close as she thrusts once, then again, before stilling once more.

She slides up and up and off of him, and he reaches for her again, but she's not there. His eyes open, and fuck this. _Bloody fucking bullocks._ He groans.

He is lying on his back in his bed, alarm blaring beside him. He silences it; no doubt Roland is still asleep in his own room. He glances down, sees the situation currently tenting his pajama pants, and heads for the shower.

Robin sets the water to cold, hoping that it will be enough to help ease the problem he is currently facing. After stripping down, he steps under the freezing cascade of water. He starts, the water is icy cold, but it doesn't do anything to help ease the tension in him. He groans, gives in and turns the water up to his regular temperature. He leans his head against the cold wall of the shower, hot water running down his back as his hand fists around his hard cock. He's still keyed up from his dream, this won't take long.

His breathing picks up as he begins pumping his hand up and down, eyes closing and his thoughts drifting off. In his mind, he can see Regina on her knees in front of him, her small hand around his cock, her dark chocolate eyes staring up into his. She licks her lips, and he groans, thrusting his hips forward into her hand. God, he can just picture those lips around him. One, two, three more pumps and his whole body jerks, a grunt escaping him as he releases. _Fuck, that bloody woman is going to kill me_, he thinks.

He finishes his shower, steps out onto his bathmat, and hears a small knock on the door. "Daddy, I want a Pop-Tart!" _Time to start the day_.

* * *

After a delicious breakfast of toast, leftover bacon from the day before, and assorted fruits, Emma heads off to meet David for a day of 'sibling fun and light rivalry' while Regina and Henry go to the lake to sit on the shore and relax. Henry brings an assortment of toys and floats to use in the water, while Regina brings towels and a book to read. Not 50 Shades of Grey this time; she knows that to read it anywhere near Henry or Emma would be asking for trouble.

Henry runs ahead of Regina as they walk towards the lake; she's taking her time and walking slowly. Her feet are still sore from their trek the day before, so she wants to do as little walking as possible today.

Once they've arrived at the lake Henry drops all of his things, disregards his mother's yell, and immediately runs off to splash in the water. There's a cordoned-off section for swimming, with a lifeguard, so Regina doesn't have to watch his every movement. She lays out some towels across the fine gravel-sand mixture that makes up the shore, and lays down. She's wearing a more conservative swimsuit today, so she feels comfortable pulling off her shirt and shorts before laying back on the towels.

An hour later, Regina has made decent progress with her book, but her skin feels sticky and hot. She stands, stretching out her stiff muscles, and looks toward Henry, who is now sitting on the shore building an elaborate sand castle. She walks over to the boy, who has not noticed anything in his concentration. She tiptoes around him, grabbing a small bucket out of Henry's eyesight, and fills it with water. She sneaks back to him, tossing the water over Henry.

He startles and shrieks, jumping up and running after Regina, who is now already in the water. The bucket is full again and she holds it up to threaten him. "If you come any closer, I'll get you again!"

The boy throws his hands up and approaches. When he is only a few feet away, he charges and hits her around the waist, forcing both of them down and into the water.

They surface, coughing and laughing, and Regina plants her hands on Henry's head, forcing him back down under the small waves. She lets up after a few seconds, allowing him to come up and sputter for air. He clambers onto his mom's back, winding his spindly arms around her neck and wrapping his legs around her waist. He points and tells her to carry him back to the beach. She laughs, but follows his directions, and drops him hard down onto the towels.

After another half hour they've tired themselves out and they gather up their things to walk back to the tents. They need to shower and change before heading off to meet Robin for their lunch and archery lesson.

Meandering back along the gravel road, they make their way back to the small campsite. Henry, now much more subdued than he was on the walk down, walks slowly alongside Regina. Halfway into their walk, he appears to snap out of his daydreaming and turns to face his mother.

"Do you like Robin? Like, like him, like him?" She has the distinct impression that she is about to be interrogated. "Don't lie to me, mom." She smiles discreetly; he has the most adorable face of concentration, trying to be intimidating.

"Well, I suppose I do. He certainly seems nice, and I don't mind his company. Why, Henry?" She replies.

He frowns as his face scrunches up in confusion, and Regina thinks he must be trying to figure out why on earth his mother would be interested in a man. She smiles bitter-sweetly, and reminds herself that she needs to treasure these days while her son still thinks girls have cooties, because one day soon he will be wanting to go on dates and get a girlfriend and he won't want to spend time with his boring old mom. Henry finally speaks up, asking, "So, do you want to, like, date him?"

A smile spreads across her face before she can stop it when she sees the totally disgusted look on her son's face. "Henry, I've only met Robin twice now. I don't know anything about him, and besides," she leans down to pinch Henry's cheeks as she talks, making him laugh, "you're the only boy I need in my life. Now, we're finished with this conversation."

Henry rolls his eyes and issues a sigh in response. But she can see the pleased look on his face, obviously happy that his mother has no plans to immediately start dating Robin. Although she can't help but think that with the energy between her and the man, she would certainly be open to seeing more of the man. _Much more of him_, she thinks as she recalls her vivid dream from the previous morning.

When they get back to the campsite, they both shower and change, and Regina will admit that she spends slightly more time than usual fixing her hair and makeup. They leave to meet Robin, and for once, Regina is just as excited as Henry for an activity on this trip.

~LINE BREAK: News alert: It still hates me~

When Regina and Henry arrive at the Park Ranger's main office, she sees Robin sitting at a picnic table outside of the building. Next to him she can see a basket, one full sized bow, and a smaller bow and arrow set. _Oh, we're having a picnic_, she thinks, happy with the choice. Regina waves and smiles in greeting, as Henry yells "Robin!" and runs up to the man.

"Henry, mate, are you ready for your lesson?" Robin asks, and Henry nods so fast he nearly gets whiplash. "Alright, well would you mind carrying this basket for me? You can go on and take it to the SUV over there." He points to his car, a forest green Highlander, and hands Henry the basket. It must be heavy because they can both see the strain on the boy's face, but he lugs the basket over to the car anyways.

"So, ma'am, have you managed to keep yourself out of trouble today?" Robin grins at the eye roll she shoots him, but she cannot stop the smirk growing on her own face.

He links his arm with hers again, and she wonders if it is weird that she is so comfortable with the action already. "No need for a Prince Charming today," she jokes in reply. "How was your shift at work?"

"Well, there was a distinct lack of beautiful women needing rescuing," Regina smiles and shakes her head in disbelief at him, "Otherwise, it was a normal day at work. What did you and your boy do this morning?"

They watch Henry put the picnic basket in the back seat of the SUV, as he climbs in next to it. "We went back to the lake; no boats this time. We swam and played around a bit. We needed a break after yesterday's disaster," she tells him as they both slowly follow Henry to the car.

A sly grin works it's way across Robin's face as he checks that Henry is in the car with the door closed. He leans closer. "Are you telling me that I missed out on the chance to see you in a bikini?"

The blush spreading across her face must give away her feelings, but she answers, "Well fortunately for you, you did not. It was a one-piece today. Maybe tomorrow…" she teases.

Regina watches his teeth close over his bottom lip as he bites down on it and grins at her. _Oh, God, how does he keep getting more attractive_, she wonders. She can feel her body drifting towards him, her hip bumping against his. They both jump as they hear a muffled thump and a shout, and look up to see Henry yelling 'come on' at them.

~LINE BREAK: No clever comment here~

Robin smiles at the boy's actions. He takes the brunette's hand and leads her over to the passenger seat, helping her up into the SUV. His eyes are automatically drawn to her backside, and he tears them away from the sight as fast as he can. _Jesus, she's lush_, he thinks. He closes her door, and as he walks over to the driver's side he takes a second to shake away the image of her ass in her yoga pants, and _why did she have to wear fucking yoga pants? _Even the brief glance he got of the sight was enough to sear it across his brain.

He steps up into his seat and starts the engine. "Okay, are we all ready?" he asks. He hears Regina's low 'yes' and Henry's excited 'yeah' in response as he pulls out of the lot. A short ten minutes later they pull into the parking lot for the small practice range set up for the Park Rangers to use. Regina's boy immediately jumps out of the vehicle, bringing the basket with him. While Regina gets out of the car, Robin goes around to the back to pull out the blankets he packed that morning.

While mother and son wait patiently, Robin carries the pile of blankets over to the flattest spot he can find. Henry is looking around, trying to soak in every detail of the range. He lays out the blankets on the ground, making sure to cover an area big enough for all of them. They all take a seat and he open up the basket and begins pulling out food.

Pulling out bags, and Tupperware containers, the two brunettes ohhh and ahhh over the food. "So, here," he opens a container, "we have a pasta salad with grapes, broccoli, mayo, and bacon. The broccoli is in full pieces, so you can pick around it if you must," he says to Henry. Regina smiles indulgently at that, as Henry exclaims 'sweet!'

The list of food continues, with an actual salad of lettuce and fruits and a poppyseed dressing, an assortment of small sandwiches with turkey and ham and tuna options, some small bags of popcorn, a dozen cookies, including chocolate chip and snickerdoodles, and a bowl of sliced fruit. Robin can tell that Regina is suitably impressed, both with his healthy and unhealthy options, and the fact that a picky child would willing eat most of the food. He's covered all the bases.

They chatter while they eat, Henry managing a few words every few minutes between giant bites of food. The conversation stays light; he asks Henry about school, his favorite subjects, does he do any sports, does he like his teachers? Eventually the conversation moves to Regina and her job. He is impressed, he thinks she can't be any older than 35, and she is already the mayor of a town. A small town, she corrects, but a town nonetheless.

"So, you have a son? Roland, right?" Regina asks Robin.

His face hurts, he smiles so widely, but that always happens when he thinks about his little boy. "Yes, I do. He is six years old, my boy. He'll be starting Year One in a few weeks, or I think you call it First Grade here?" He gets two nods as his answer.

"Well, what's he like?" Regina questions.

"Does he like comics?" Henry asks a little too loudly.

Robin launches into a description of his son, his favorite topic. "I'm sure he likes comic books Henry, he does love the Avengers." This gets an approving look from the boy. "And he is a precocious thing. I think he may be a little small for his age, but he's smart. He loves to read, and I believe he loves living around the park. We're all taking turns teaching him his boy scout skills here at the park, so that he'll be ready to join the scouts next year… I'm sure I'm messing up somehow, raising him without his mother, but we get by." He stops, thinking about everything his son is missing out on with not having his mother around to be there for him.

Regina reaches out to put a soothing hand on Robin's arm, and they smile at each other. He remembers that she is doing this alone as well, raising a son on her own, and Henry seems to have turned out just fine. Although, the boy is getting bored of sitting, they can tell, so they both begin to pack up the remains of their lunch.

~LINE BREAK: And another one.~

She sits and watches as Robin shows Henry how to properly hold a his bow. He gently re-positions the boy's hands, explaining patiently why the placement is so important. _He's attractive, he's great with children, and he appears to like me_, Regina thinks to herself. It's been years since her last relationship, a brief fling with a man named Jefferson while Henry was still young. The two never met, he was more of a way for Regina to have time with somebody over the age of 5.

As she watches Henry and Robin chat and practice footing while holding a bow, she thinks that maybe her son has missed out on having a male in his life. Henry is a great kid, and smart, but he's never had anybody to teach him the things a father-figure would. At that, Regina's thoughts drift to the man that could have been Henry's father… Daniel. He was her first serious relationship, her only serious relationship, and her world was turned upside down when she got the phone call from David telling her she needed to come to the hospital as fast as she could. By the time she arrived, running frantically through the hospital doors, he was already gone, leaving Regina alone. Alone at age 20, and raising his sister's baby at 22. Not that Regina would ever complain about her decision to raise Henry; she loves him with everything she has.

Time flies by, and before she knows it, Henry is successfully shooting arrows, and managing to shoot the target Robin had set up. He's nowhere close to shooting a bulls-eye, but at least he hits something. Robin is patient and encouraging, and Henry immediately takes to him, chattering nonstop about this and that and his favorite superheros. They celebrate the first time Henry gets the arrow into the circle on the target, and look over to Regina for encouragement. She smiles and cheers, and tells Henry he is doing wonderfully.

The ringing of her cell phone interrupts her musing, and she stands, tells the boys that she is going to walk a bit to take the call. She trusts Robin with Henry, and she trusts Henry with Robin.

A check of the caller ID tells her that it is Kathryn calling, no doubt to check that she hasn't accidentally pushed Emma off of a cliff. She gathers herself, prepares for the onslaught of Kathryn's personality, and she swipes to answer.


End file.
